Navies agree on 'set areas' for Somali patrols

Navies in the waters off Somalia have agreed to adopt China's suggestion to patrol the area according to set areas of responsibility, a Chinese Ministry of Defense official said on Friday.

Beijing may also take the rotating chair of the multinational mission to patrol Somali waters, the official said on the phone.

"We share some common views, but we also have differences So we reached a consensus to patrol the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) according to set areas of responsibility," the ministry official told China Daily on condition of anonymity.